معرفی
Dr. Alison Robertson is a Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Microbiology at Iowa State University. As a Field Pathologist for Extension and Outreach, she focuses on disease management strategies for field crops, particularly corn and soybean. Her research addresses oomycete diseases like Pythium and Phytophthora, evaluating cover crops' effects on disease dynamics and crop yields. She collaborates with farmers and agribusinesses to disseminate practical disease management tools.
Education: B.Sc. (Agriculture) from the University of Kwazulu-Natal (1991), M.Phil. from the University of Zimbabwe (1999), and Ph.D. from Clemson University (2003). Affiliations include the American Phytopathological Society and the Sustainable Agriculture Interdepartmental Program.
Research interests emphasize cover crop impacts on seedling diseases, fungicide efficacy, and genetic resistance to pathogens. She has led multistate projects assessing cereal rye cover crop effects on corn and soybean systems. Recent work focuses on tar spot epidemiology and predictive modeling, as well as Phytophthora sojae resistance gene efficacy globally.
Her outreach programs provide disease diagnosis support and management guides for farmers. She evaluates seed treatments and fungicides for agrochemical companies, ensuring practical applications of research findings.
Labs/Teams: Active in the Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic and collaborates with Iowa State’s Extension network. Future work includes refining cover crop management practices and understanding pathogen adaptation to environmental changes.
